Gravity-operated toy



March 9 1926.

' M. E. TYNEIS GRAVITY OPERATED TOY Filed Feb. 6. 1923 Gnome Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MINOR EUGENE TYNES, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

GRAVITY-OPERATED TQY.

Application filed February 6, 1923. Serial No. 617,316.

' a simple and inexpensive toy'of this character in which a gravity controlled object after completing its descent may be lifted from its track and again placed at the top of the track ready for another trip without changing the position of the track.

Another object is to provide a device of this character in which a rotary sweep may travel from one end to the other of a support and carries figures of any desired shape so mounted as to normally assume an upright position, the sweep maintaining a substantially horizontal position during its downward travel.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the in vention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents aside elevation of a toy embodying one form of the invention with the sweep shown near the top, making its descent. V

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspectiveview of a portion of the sweep and its support.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a slightly different form of sweep connector.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, a stand 1 is shown mounted on a supporting base 2 and comprising a post or rod 3 which may be of any desired height and which is preferably provided at its upper end with a hand grip in the form of a ring 4. As shown, the lower end of this rod 3 is bent to form an annular support 3* connected with the body of the rod byan arm 3, the end of said rod being connected to the member 3 in any suitable manner, being here shown connected by a keeper 3 which also fastens it to the base 2. Other keepers 3 are also used for securing the member 3 to the base.

A coiled wire 5 is wound around the rod 3, being connected at one end to the ring 4 and at its'other end to the base 2. This coil 5 is constructed of heavy wire, the pitch of the spiral being varied to increase or diminish the speed of rotation of the sweep 6 which is designed to travel thereon.

The sweep 6 comprises a rod bowed midway the ends thereof and provided with a laterally extending loop 7, the members of which preferably lie in Contact with each other and the loop is designed to be entered in the spirals of the coil 5 and to travel thereon, said spirals operating as a track for the sweep. The opposite ends of the sweep are pivotally engaged with figures 8 and 9 which may be of any desired shape, a man on horseback being here shown. These figures are pivotally mounted above their centers of gravity so that they will automatically assume upright positions. As shown, one fig ure is mounted on one side of the sweep and the other on the opposite side, so that they will be properly balanced. It is of course understood that the parts will all be so positioned that the sweep when the loop 7 is inserted in one of the spirals of the coil, will balance perfectly upon the coiled wire and will extend approximately at right angles thereto.

In the use of the toy. the stand 1 of any desired height, being placed in upright position on a suitable support, the sweep 6is inserted in the uppermost spiral of the coil 5 and when released will move downward by gravity and travel along the coiled wire, the spirals of which cause the sweep to rotate during its downward movement and the pitch of the spirals may be varied at intervals to increase or diminish the speed of rotation of the sweep.

lVlien the sweep reaches the limit of its downward movement, it is lifted out of en gagement with the coiled wire and replaced at the top of the stand ready for the next trip. This construction of the sweep which provides for its detachable engagement with the stand adapts it .to beused on a stand of any height and the stand may be fixedly mounted on a support if desired, avoiding the necessity of reversing the stand.

The use of the rod 3 within the coil 5 strengthens and reinforces the stand, adapting it to be made of any desired height with out danger of bending and the sweep travels along the coils of the wire without eontacting with the rod as is shown clearly in Fig. 3. I

In Fig. 3, the sweep 6 has a hook-shaped loop 7 which engages the wire 5 as shown I and travels down in the same manner as above described.

Various changes in the form, shape, proportion and otherminor details of construction may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the claimed invention.

I claim I e 1. In a toy, a supporting structure, including a spiral track and a removable two armed one point suspension sweep mounted to travel by gravity on said track, said sweep having a laterally extending loop intermediate its ends removably inserted in the spirals of said track to travel thereon, and means whereby the'sweep is held on the track against accidental displacement.

2.111 a toy, a supporting base, a post rising therefrom, a track spirally coiled around said post with the coils thereof spaced radially from the post, a sweep having a lateral loopextending laterally therefrom and removably inserted in and resting on the spirals of said track to travel between them and the post, said sweep resting at one side of said loop on said track forming a one point suspension, said sweep being upwardly bowed to insure its retention on the track.

3. In a toy, a supporting base, a post rising therefrom, a track coiled around said post with the coils thereof spaced radially from the post, a sweep'having a lateral loop inserted in the spirals of said track and resting at one side of said loop on said track MINOR EUGENE TYNEs. 

